Cricket is a game between two teams of eleven players. One team bats - hitting the ball as far as they can - and the other team bowls and fields, trying to stop the runs. It can be played in a quick 'T20' format that lasts a few hours, or a long format that lasts several days.
Nepal's national cricket team has surprised the world more than once. They have beaten much bigger teams from much bigger countries. Their fans are known for their amazing energy - one of the loudest cricket crowds anywhere - even when their team is the underdog.
In a country like Nepal, where flat land is precious, kids often play cricket in whatever space they can find. A narrow alley becomes a cricket pitch. A rolled-up sock becomes a ball. A flat piece of wood is a bat. The whole game adapts to wherever you are.
Almost every Nepali school has a cricket team. Children practise after school and play matches against other schools at weekends. Some of Nepal's top international players started this way - hitting balls in a dusty schoolyard before the world ever heard of them.

